Translating to “brigades/squadrons of ash-Sham” and operationally advertising itself since at least the autumn of last year, this group- in origin a merger of several small brigades- has been primarily active in the Homs area (including from within Homs city), and like the Lebanese-founded Jamaat Jund ash-Sham, it contains a mixture of native Syrians and foreign fighters: though according to a media activist for this group whom I interviewed, the “majority” of the group’s fighters are Syrians. To the extent that there are foreign fighters in this grouping, they are most likely Lebanese and other Levantines. To date, no muhajireen martyrdom notices have been publicly announced.

Ideologically, like most muhajireen and part-muhajireen battalions, Saraya ash-Sham espouses the establishment of a Caliphate, and officially took an anti-fitna stance on the al-Qa’ida-Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) dispute (as the media activist put it to me, “We are all brothers”), declaring support for Sheikh Muheisseni’s “Ummah Initiative” back in January. Indicative of the official anti-fitna stance as well is the fact that when Sheikh Abu Khalid al-Suri of Ahrar ash-Sham was killed in February, Saraya ash-Sham did not blame anyone in particular for the killing, but simply eulogised him. The group also coordinated with ISIS, Ahfad al-Rasul and other groups in fending off an attempted regime advance on the village of Aydun in Hama countryside, near an Alawite village called Khanifis.

With the regime’s clearance of the city of Homs and other key localities in the vicinity, it should be noted that Saraya ash-Sham, like Jamaat Jund ash-Sham (which was driven out of Krak des Chevaliers by the Syrian army and National Defence Forces) has largely ceased to be a meaningful entity in terms of operations.

Despite the official anti-fitna stance of Saraya ash-Sham’s position on other groups, in practice Saraya ash-Sham, like Harakat Sham al-Islam, is closer to Jabhat al-Nusra than ISIS. This is a media graphic released in February of this year dedicated to fallen Saraya ash-Sham commander Abu Zubayr al-Homsi. Note the Jabhat al-Nusra logo on the top-right corner. In an accompanying message, Abu Mujahid ash-Shami- an official in Saraya ash-Sham- said the martyrdom notification was dedicated to “Jabhat al-Nusra in particular.” It appears there may be some personnel overlap between Saraya ash-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra.

Saraya ash-Sham graphic dedicated to slain field commander Sayyid Suleiman, who established his own brigade as part of Saraya ash-Sham in al-Khalidiya, Homs.

A Saraya ash-Sham graphic echoing the ISIS messaging motif of the looming conquest of Jerusalem. The text accompanying this graphic read as follows: “We fight in Homs al-Adiya and our eyes are on al-Quds al-Abiya.”

In November 2013, two more battalions joined Saraya ash-Sham: the Junud Allah brigade in Hama countryside, and the Usud ash-Sham brigade in Homs.

Saraya ash-Sham statement in January of this year supporting the Ummah Initiative.

ISIS- Gaza contingent

Just as ISIS has a special contingent for Libyan fighters- namely, the Katiba al-Bittar al-Libi, which previously played a pivotal role in the defence of ISIS’ southern Hasakah stronghold of al-Markadah from the attacks of Jabhat al-Nusra and other rebels and is now pushing deep into Deir az-Zor province, losing a number of fighters in the process- so ISIS also has a special contingent dedicated to fighters from Gaza.

This should come as no surprise. After all, images of support from Gaza for ISIS have been in evidence for nearly a year now, and when it came to the infighting between ISIS and other groups in Syria that broke out this year, the two main Gaza-Sinai jihadi groups- Jamaat Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis and Majlis Shura al-Mujahideen- came down firmly on the side of ISIS. The Gazan contingent in turn reflects the division among the Palestinians outside Syria regarding the Syrian civil war: namely, that while there is no evidence Hamas has an organized presence in Syria to support the rebels and its insistence on neutrality is to be believed (much to the chagrin of the Islamic Front), Palestinian Salafi circles have been active in assisting the rebels.

A supporter of ISIS inscribes the group’s name on the beach in Gaza. Photo from September last year.

The Gazan religious instructor in this study circle was killed fighting for ISIS in Syria in September last year.

Gazan children show their support for ISIS. Photo from January 2014.

“From Gaza of glory to the mujahideen of the Islamic State: verily we love you in God. The Salafi Jihadi Movement- Gaza”- photo in support of ISIS from December 2013.

Wissam al-Atal: a doctor from Gaza who became a suicide bomber for ISIS in Syria last year.

“From Gaza of glory, our allegiance is to our amir Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi”- a Gazan fighter shows his support for ISIS. Photo from February 2014.

Banner on the beach of Gaza hoisted in support of ISIS this month.

“Joy of the people of Gaza at the conquests of the Islamic State”- purported photo from the demonstrations held by Salafis in support of ISIS following news of the advances in Iraq. The rallies were subsequently broken up by Hamas police.

In Syria, the Gazan contingent of fighters that has emerged takes the name of the “Sheikh Abu al-Nur al-Maqdisi Brigade,” named after the founder and leader of the Salafi Jund Ansar Allah group in Gaza- Abdel Latif Moussa- who was killed in clashes with Hamas in 2009.

Training for the Sheikh Abu al-Nur al-Maqdisi brigade (photo released in April 2014): “Mujahideen of Gaza in the Islamic State’s Camps in ash-Sham.” Accompanying slogans on Twitter include “Coming, oh Jews,” reflecting the ambitions for the conquest of the whole Israel-Palestine area as part of ash-Sham.

As above.

As above.

Abu Khattab of Gaza, who died fighting for the Sheikh Abu al-Nur al-Maqdisi brigade in Syria.

The Gazan contingent burning cigarettes in Syria.

Gazan fighter shows children how to destroy cigarettes.

Gazan contingent handling raw meat. As with the Katiba al-Bittar al-Libi, standard ‘daily life of a mujahid’ messaging.

The Gazan contingent handles a gazelle for slaughter.

A photo that gives an idea of where the Gazan contingent has been deployed. Photo from outside ISIS’ Islamic police station in Manbij, Aleppo province.

“From the mujahideen of Gaza in the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham: the Sheikh Abu al-Nur al-Maqdisi Brigade.”

It should be noted that undoubtedly with influence from Gaza, this pro-ISIS trend is catching on somewhat in the West Bank, which recently saw three teenagers kidnapped near Hebron by a group taking its name after ISIS, though the Israeli government is officially blaming Hamas as part of a propaganda line whereby there is a reluctance to acknowledge there is a more radical trend than Hamas emerging within the Palestinian population. Perhaps the emergence of this trend should not be surprising when one considers the widespread Palestinian support for Saddam Hussein as champion of their cause. Now, with the rise of ISIS and its extensive conquests and promises to liberate Jerusalem, it seems many Palestinians will be inclined to see ISIS as their new Saddam-style saviour figure.

ISIS graphic on social media to remind Palestinians and the Ummah that ISIS has not forgotten al-Quds (Jerusalem).

A young Palestinian girl shows her support for ISIS, which will supposedly open the path up to al-Quds.

ISIS billboard in Hasakah province from March 2014: “We fight in Iraq and ash-Sham and our eyes are on the Holy House [Bayt al-Maqdis].”

“Oh Quds, don’t cry…” Palestinian graphic in support of ISIS.

“Baqiya [ISIS slogan], Palestinian support, together in support of ISIS.” Palestinian graphic in support of ISIS using Iwo Jima imagery.

The main area to watch in terms of Palestinian support for ISIS is the Gaza-Sinai area, where pro-ISIS jihadis have been building their networks for some time. While the Hamas security apparatus is still resilient, as Jonathan Spyer, I would not be surprised if active pro-ISIS jihadis, assuming ISIS’ overall status and holdings are not diminished, attempt to take over Gaza within the next 5-10 years and proclaim an emirate of Gaza aligned with ISIS.

Comments (142)

Jürgen could three Hitler Jugend boys have walked around occupied France, Poland or Warsaw Ghetto unharmed in the middle of night? I doubt that. Israeli Jews seem not to understand that it is not wise to send their children in the middle of very pissed of people who have been severely humiliated, exploited and murdered by Jews for halve a century.

Could you as a German walk around Israel with a text in your t-shirt: “Ich bin ein Deutscher und Ich bewundere was Adolf Hitler hat getan”. History and occupation have the price tag also for those who did not directly participate in the past events. Israeli settler boys in occupied area are a such “t-shirt text” for Palestinians.

On the other hand Israeli settlers and army have killed during the last decade hundreds of Palestinian teens and children. Palestinians have the “right” to revenge and resistance much more than the oppressors side. What is “funny” when Jews murder a Palestinian boy, that is in Israeli press called a nationalist motivated attack, when Palestinians do anything from trowing a stone it is always called terrorism.

You ignore the rich Jewish history of this HolyLand. Every stone you pick, and every dust you dust, you find evidence for the great Jewish history of this land. Most Arab villages and towns, their names are derived from the older name in Hebrew. We didn’t colonize this land. We reclaimed this land from the Arab colonizers who stormed it from the Arabian desert, many years ago.

As for me, I have no intention of becoming a refugee. Defiantly not a Jewish refugee in Europe. Do I have to remind you the shameful treatment, you did treat your European Jews? Like Finland (were you come from, if I remember correctly), who betrayed it’s Jews by willingly cooperating with the Nazis.

For me, it’s living here or dying while fighting for my land. There’s no third option.

101. SIMOHURTTA
If Israel was actually shooting to kill, there would be dead bodies covering the streets.” If Israel thought it could get away with it without upsetting the EU and the US too much then there would be a quick mass genocide of Palestinians. However the slow drip drip of no more than three kids a day is the preferred option that the Zionist controlled media can live with without its silence becoming too embarrassing and obvious to the general public.

The 16 y/o young Arab who was kidnapped and murdered in Jerusalem, was gay. He was murdered by his own family in what is notoriously known as “honor killing”. Israel, “settlers” and Jews have nothing to do with this tragedy.

This is very sad of course, and it demonstrates the brutal faith of minorities (gays among them) in a Muslim Arab environment.

one of the American defense companies announced the recruitment of civilians for dummies “documenting operations on the territory of Abkhazia.” From applicants for jobs requires ownership opened the Abkhaz language, the presence of acting skills and willingness to work in hot spots. Given the rich history of “attacks,” the White House fabricated in Syria and in other states, another “incident” is planned to fabricate in relation to Abkhazia, which, according to Washington’s plans, should stir up the world community and give the West a pretext for new sanctions against Russia. With research website you can find here.https://roleplayer-mobius.icims.com/jobs/1010/role-players,-translators,–linguists-or-culture-advisors-for-various-cultures/job?mobile=false&width=946&height=500&bga=true&needsRedirect=false
if conflict erupts again in Abkhazia Russia will be blamed by the international community. Mobius International has been advertising for Russian crisis actors for a lot longer than Georgian ones. You have been warned! ALERT WARNED !

Amir only your tribe can at once invent, that the murdered Arab boy was a homosexual and murdered by his own family. “Amusingly” that rumor, which was very fast, effectively and in organized way spread by “your kind”, came from the Israeli Jewish police (despite that there is gag order about the investigations), anonymously naturally. Have the Jews arrested “family members” and accused them for the crime? No they haven’t. By the way Amir still for a while in Tel Aviv the murdered boy was an Israeli like you (Israeli citizen) being from East Jerusalem. And you over nationalistic religious nuts claim, that Israel is not a worst kind of a Apartheid state.

As for me, I have no intention of becoming a refugee. Defiantly not a Jewish refugee in Europe. Do I have to remind you the shameful treatment, you did treat your European Jews? Like Finland (were you come from, if I remember correctly), who betrayed it’s Jews by willingly cooperating with the Nazis.

Well I suppose nobody here wants you here to Europe. We have enough nuts here. Finland did not give a single of our “own” Jews to Germany, even Germany demanded. Jews here served in our army like all others in the wars against Soviet Union. Finland gave a couple Jewish refugees, from Austria if I remember right, to Germany. Jews have here been real equal citizens with full rights. The richest Finn is – surprise – a Jew (though it is a bit unclear how his family became so rich in a so short time – arms trade and drugs say some – well …). Two members of Finnish parliament (200 members) are Jews, considering that there are little over 1000 Jews here a remarkable achievement. Shameful treatment indeed …

But you do not deny that Finland willingly cooperated with the Nazis, although the Fins knew what was Nazi ideology and their intentions towards European Jews. Finland also helped the Nazis by supplying them with materials and finances, banking and manpower.

While I am against separation or the dividing of Syria, increasingly the argument of a Federated Syria is becoming a viable alternative to the status quo. If Quebec in canada can be a distinct society with its own laws that conform to the Canadian Federal laws such as the Canadian Bill of Rights then perhaps the same can be done in Syria. It can be away where the various sects are well protected within their own community but still remain part of the Syrian society.

“We reclaimed this land from the Arab colonizers who stormed it from the Arabian desert, many years ago.”

Many Palestinians, Lebanese and Syrians have genetics that trace them to Phoenicians and Caananites. Both of whom are from the Bronze Age. Before the advent of Monotheism.

Abraham the father of Judaism and Monotheism was from Ur in Mesopotamia which is somewhere in Iraq/Turkey/Syria border region. He was instructed to leave his Native land of Ur and go to the “promised Land”.

Nah, the only ones related to Phoenicians in the Middle East are the Hebrews (Jews and Samaritans) and the Alawites, who were originally the Phoenicians who weren’t run off by the invading Greeks.

The Muslims slaughtered the Samaritans wholesale if the didn’t convert so there’s some Samaritan genetics in those areas, but it’s a trace.

————

Yeah, it’ only a few million Hebrews, but that few million invented Thermonuclear Weapons over half a century ago. What they have invented since is a secret. All animals with a backbone, in all hostile countries, survive by their grace.

Before farming it was cannibalism, in about half the hominid bones we’ve found, (fire made it safe). Afterwards, virtually all societies went through a human sacrifice period, but it was particularly intense in the area of Canaan, and worse yet, it was their own children. It goes back 10,000 years. Always burned them too, started with bronze bowls and ended with metal Moloch statues. We have the bones of the burned children in the thousands.

Being a Canaanite, when the Hebrews arrived from Ur, led by Abraham, with his famous story preaching against sacrificing your children, is nothing to be proud of. How many in the area are descendants of those original Canaanites? It’s so mixed it’s hard to say. But the Cohen gene in 12% of Jewish men (and 60% named Cohen), and approaching 100% in Samaritan men, and them splitting 2,700 years ago, and originating 3,400 years ago, definitely plants the Hebrews there long before 2,700 years ago, with the 3,400 matching the Moses story, inferring Abraham at 4,000.http://evolutsioon.ut.ee/publications/Shen2004.pdf

If there’s any actual scientific evidence of pre-4000 year ago genetics in the area, other than the Hebrews, I haven’t seen it.

We have the silver scrolls physical evidence of the Torah 2,600-2,700 years ago and the pottery shard at 3000 years ago in Jerusalem summarizing the moral laws of the Torah, the first physical alphabetic writing on earth still in existence.

They are certainly entitled to a little postage stamp sized piece of land there. There is certainly evidence for that. Let it go.

“Recounting their departure from Tikrit to Mosul, one of them said the ISIS militants actually hurried them into the bus to safety when a bomb attack occurred just as they left the hospital building where they had been trapped. About five nurses sustained minor injuries to their hands in the process.

It’s the Saddam Regime, just like Al-Nusra says, (a broken clock is right twice a day.)

The mad dog thing is to instill fear in their enemies and those on the fence, and attract more mindless zombies. They’ve been very careful who they attack in Syria all along. If it was mad dogs running it, not just being the shock troop zombies of the Saddam Regime, that shrine in Samarra would have been hit by artillery, or whatever, long ago.

Every single solitary thing ISIS has done is what the Saddam Regime would do. It passes the Turing Test.

Protests are being organized in cities around the world to respond to the ongoing assault on Palestine and the Palestinian people, including the murders of Palestinians (including 16-year-old Muhammad Abu Khdeir, murdered brutally by Israeli settlers), the bombing of Gaza, the mass arrests of over 600, and the raids, attacks, tear-gassing, invasions and closure that Palestinians are being subjected to.

About the young Arab teen who got murdered (he was in fact burned alive), I’ll be very surprised if the investigation shows it was a Jew who did it. There’s a gag order, so nothing in the news. There’s a photo circulating in the web that shows him (allegedly), wearing women’s dress.
If a Jew did this, he/she has to be punished in a way that we say in Hebrew “למען יראו וייראו” (for others to see and fear).

Well this is very nice indeed. I have just returned from the ME and I can say that the situation is wonderful indeed.

Statelets are springing up in all corners of this wonderful land.

Now, in North Lebanon we have a beginning of an implantation of the IS ideology there. The base from which bomb making is established. The suicide bombers come on airplanes now and do not cross the Syrian Lebanese border. So all of the effort of the HA to secure it is for naught.

The political instability in Lebanon gives a mood of pre civil war. Cafes are empty, hotels closed, traffic after dusk is minimal, patrols everywhere, and people are ever more partisan in their thinking.

There is panic in the Christian communities as the ability of the authoritarian regimes to protect them is fading rather quickly. Georges Corm wrote an article in Vivre Ensemble in French in which he blasts the West for its broken promises to the Kurds and Assyrians and Armenians and the lack of denouncing both Israeli apartheid and Jihadist ideology and yet asks for the help of the West to preserve the Christian population. Once again, as in 19th Century Ottoman times there is an appeal to protect the Christians and entangle the West once again in a 1400 year old feud.

HA and its organs of propaganda are now very subdued. There is no talk of Syria or its battles and travails and there is a complete shock that Iraq is disintegrating in front of their eyes.

Iran has bitten more than it can chew. Two reports came out this week one in Le Monde about the previous administration polluting the atmosphere with terrible quality gasoline with an estimated 4000 killed in Teheran alone from this pollution in the last decade and the other about the fact that water resources are drying up fully in this arid land. Several lakes are at 5% of their former water capacity.

The sanctions are biting hard. As for Syria there is a de facto break up of the country now. Iraq is on its way to a de facto break up and then a formal one as the Kurds seize the moment. Turkey is supportive and the US cannot do anything about it.

Iran will see it as a blow to its ability to keep the Kurds happy and the Syrian Kurds will ally with the Iraqi ones. Turkey will see a new Kurdish state as a nice buffer with its southern border.

Egypt as Ehsani2 said before is lurching from crisis to crisis and Libya has reverted to tribal coalition. Tunis is doing great.

The 100 year Sunni Shia war has started. IS has oil, water, electricity and an ideology to boot. On this president’s watch we see the emergence of a new Jihadist state and as I predicted the new Jihadists will make Zawahiri look like a boy scout.

Another one will re emerge in Kabul in 2016 when the Pashtun will take back the country with or without Taliban undertones.

The ideology of an Islam under siege similar to the very early days of the Muslim community when they were being threatened with death and exile has taken root. The compass by which the Jihadists think is in these terms and the way of life that they adhere to is one of constant militancy until the entire earth is under the rule of God according to their beliefs.

Now of course, if you listen to the Qaumajieh it is all the doing of the CIA Mossad MI6 combinations.

I am most cynical about Putin who now has an IS close to home, a base from which the millions of muslim youth in the former Soviet bloc and in the Russian federation are going to go get training and indoctrination. He wanted to support the iPad retard to spite the West but he cut off his nose to spite his face as we say here.

Very good news indeed. Now we have to choose between the Alawi based rule or the IS based rule. Perhaps when faced with the mirror images of these two abominations people will come to their senses and get their act together. But wait a minute, we are talking about age old sectarianism that is the most alive ideology today.

Some would accuse me of being a nihilist but my response is what is your solution then?

Lebanon is next. Mark my word. The politicians are debating the sex of the angels while the fanatics rule.

Today’s news reports state that both jewish and Palestinian extremists have been arrested for the murders of the Palestinian and jewish teens, respectively. To me, this is another example indicative of the need for a two-state solution.

Still, in terms of the whole ME, the Arab – Israeli conflict is a tiny side – show of dysfunction.

Bass and solos guitars of AIPAC !
It is amusing to witness the energy and effort mainstream news outlets are investing in diverting attention from the fact that the current mess in ME is the direct outcome of Jewish political domination of the West for the last two decades.

FYI, the AIPAC excuse has run its course. No one in the Arab world is paying attention to it. AIPAC isn’t killing tens of thousands of Muslims. Can AIPAC force you to pick up a gun and shoot a fellow muslim?

The topic of debate is not personal! It is an Israeli-Palestinian ! unsuccessful maneuver.
by the way: have you a topic more productive than the (force you) (gun) (shoot)? or all this environment of your living environment?